Family Business Stories with Fexingo: Succession, Legacy, and Multi-Generational Companies

Lucas and Luna explore how the Sandoz family transformed a tiny Swiss chemical dye company into the world's largest generic drug manufacturer. They trace the story from the founding in 1886, through the creation of Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, the development of the first mass-produced LSD, and the bold 1990s decision to spin off generics as a separate unit. The hosts examine how the family maintained...

Episode 106 of Family Business Stories with Fexingo. Most power-tool companies sell you a drill and hope it breaks. Hilti sells a fleet, a service promise, and a nearly century-old family discipline. In 2026, as Hilti passes $7 billion in revenue with no debt, we explore how the Hilti family turned construction fasteners into a recurring-revenue machine. Lucas and Luna unpack the 1941 'Hilti Promi...

This episode of Family Business Stories with Fexingo dives into the Volpi family, who have run a cured-meat business in St. Louis since 1902. Lucas and Luna explore how the company survived Prohibition, the Great Depression, and the rise of industrial processed meats by sticking to traditional dry-curing methods. They focus on the key moment in the 1970s when third-generation brothers John and Bil...

In this episode of Family Business Stories with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore the rise and fracture of the Mondavi family wine empire. Starting with Robert Mondavi's 1966 founding of his eponymous winery in Oakville, California, the story traces how his two sons, Michael and Timothy, clashed over strategy, leading to a boardroom coup in 2004 that ousted the family from management. We delve into...

Episode 103 of Family Business Stories with Fexingo: Succession, Legacy, and Multi-Generational Companies. Lucas and Luna dive into the story of Norway's Hartmann family, who built one of the world's largest salmon producers from a single fjord farm in the 1970s. Today, the company is a multi-billion-dollar export giant, but the family has kept control through a unique ownership structure that bal...

The Mars family is one of the wealthiest in the world, yet they've operated in near-total secrecy for nearly a century. This episode explores how Mars, Incorporated—maker of M&M's, Snickers, Pedigree, and Whiskas—remained privately held through five generations, growing from a candy stand in Tacoma, Washington, into a $45 billion global conglomerate. We focus on the key decisions that kept the fam...

When you think of Napa Valley wine, you likely imagine a sun-drenched estate with rolling vineyards. But E. & J. Gallo Winery — the largest wine producer in the world by volume — was started by two brothers who owned zero vineyards and zero aging cellars. In this episode, Lucas and Luna unpack the Gallo family's improbable rise from a rented warehouse in Modesto, California to a $5 billion empire...

For episode 100 of Family Business Stories with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into the Rothschild family — arguably the most famous banking dynasty in history. They trace the rise from Mayer Amschel Rothschild's coin shop in Frankfurt's Jewish ghetto in the 1760s to the cross-border network of five sons who outran Napoleon's couriers. The episode focuses on one specific innovation: the Rothschild c...

In episode 99 of Family Business Stories, Lucas and Luna explore the remarkable story of the Van der Waals family, who built a global edible oils empire from a single windmill in the Netherlands in 1865. Now in its seventh generation, the company controls 15% of the global palm oil market and processes over 50 million tons of vegetable oils annually. The hosts focus on the leap from fifth to sixth...

IKEA is the world's largest furniture retailer, but its ownership structure is anything but standard. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the Kamprad family used a complex web of foundations, trusts, and holding companies to keep IKEA private, avoid taxes, and protect the business from succession battles. They trace the story from Ingvar Kamprad's founding in 1943 to the creation of the St...

Episode 97 of Family Business Stories with Fexingo traces the Wu family's journey from a single tea shop in Taipei to a multinational tea conglomerate spanning 30 countries. Lucas and Luna unpack how second-generation patriarch David Wu pivoted from wholesale to premium retail in the 1980s, and how third-generation CEO Emily Wu navigated the specialty matcha boom without losing the company's 1950s...

In this episode of Family Business Stories with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how the Leica Camera family — the Leitz family — navigated the collapse of film photography in the 2000s, nearly sold the company twice, and ultimately triumphed by leaning into their brand's soul. They focus on a single pivotal decision: the 2014 launch of the Leica M Edition 60, a $9,000 digital camera with no screen...

Episode 95 of Family Business Stories with Fexingo tells the remarkable 400-year saga of the Zildjian family, the world's oldest family business still in operation. Since 1623 in Constantinople, the Zildjian dynasty has guarded the secret formula for casting cymbals, supplying everyone from Ottoman Janissary bands to The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and modern drummers like Dave Grohl. Lucas and Luna ex...

In Episode 94 of Family Business Stories with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into the Agnelli dynasty, the family behind FIAT. Starting with Giovanni Agnelli's founding in 1899, they trace how the family turned a small car plant into an industrial empire that shaped Italy's economy. The episode focuses on the 2003 succession crisis after Gianni Agnelli's death, when his grandson John Elkann took ove...

In episode 93 of Family Business Stories with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how Italy's Ferrari family—unrelated to the carmaker—built and preserved a luxury textile mill through five wars, two world depressions, and the rise of fast fashion. The episode zeroes in on one specific decision in 1954: when third-generation owner Umberto Ferrari turned down a contract from a rising American mass-reta...

This episode tells the inside story of the Oetker family, the German food dynasty behind Dr. Oetker baking powder, pizza, and a massive conglomerate. In 2021, the death of the family patriarch Albert Oetker set off a bitter boardroom battle between his eight children over control of a $17 billion empire spanning food, shipping, and luxury hotels. Lucas explains how the family's notorious secrecy a...

This episode of Family Business Stories with Fexingo travels to Mackinac Island, Michigan, where the Murdick family has been making fudge since 1887. Lucas and Luna explore how a single recipe, a strict no-motor-vehicle island policy, and a commitment to hand-paddling fudge on a marble slab created a brand that survives 140 years later. They dive into the economics of a seasonal business that does...

In this episode of Family Business Stories with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how the Cartier family built a global luxury jewelry empire across three brothers, survived wars and economic crises, and ultimately lost control in the 1960s. They focus on the specific strategic decisions that allowed the brand to maintain its cachet for over a century, including the invention of the Santos-Dumont wa...

In this episode of Family Business Stories with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how the Ferrero family built a global confectionery empire from a single pastry shop in Alba, Italy. Focusing on the company's fiercely private ownership structure and refusal to go public, they unpack the strategic decisions behind Nutella, Kinder, and Tic Tac. Learn how third-generation CEO Giovanni Ferrero navigated...

In this episode of Family Business Stories with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how the Van Hoorebeke family built a diamond empire in Antwerp over three generations without ever borrowing from a bank. From a single polishing table in 1923 to a global hub cutting one-third of the world's rough diamonds today, the Van Hoorebekes kept control through strict family governance and a unique profit-shar...

In this episode of Family Business Stories, Lucas and Luna explore how the Beretta family has kept their gun-making business alive for nearly 500 years — making them one of the world's oldest continuously operating family enterprises. They trace the company's founding in 1526 in a small Italian village, its survival through wars and industrial revolutions, and the key decisions that allowed each g...

In this episode of Family Business Stories with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how the Michelin brothers turned a small rubber factory in Clermont-Ferrand into a global tire empire — and why they created a restaurant guide that became the gold standard for fine dining. They dive into the pivotal innovations that saved the company in the early 20th century, including the detachable tire and the ic...

In 2014, PSA Peugeot Citroën was hours from bankruptcy. The founding family, which had controlled the company since 1810, was diluted to just over 14% ownership after a bailout from the French state and Chinese automaker Dongfeng. Yet the Peugeot family didn't disappear. They rebuilt their stake, retained a board seat, and watched their revived company merge with Fiat-Chrysler to form Stellantis —...

Episode 84 of Family Business Stories with Fexingo examines how the Hennessy family held together one of the world's oldest and most valuable cognac dynasties through 250 years of revolutions, world wars, and corporate consolidation. Lucas and Luna trace the family's survival from the 1765 founding by Richard Hennessy, through the deal that created LVMH in 1987, to today's delicate balance between...

How did Bernard Arnault and his family assemble the world's largest luxury conglomerate, LVMH, from a struggling textile company? This episode traces the key acquisitions — from Christian Dior to Louis Vuitton to Hennessy — and the family governance structure that kept control in the Arnault family through holding companies and dual-class shares. We look at the 2022-2023 luxury slowdown and whethe...